Critical Reflections on Fund Distribution in Malaysian Schools

Abstract

The objective of this study is to provide critical reflections on teachers’ awareness and participation in sourcing and allocating funds for school operations in Malaysia. A survey of 118 teachers was conducted to obtain the teachers’ perspectives on the funding process. The perspectives were used as basis for critical reflections on the funding process in Malaysian schools. A theoretical framework comprising of stakeholder and intellectual capital theories was adopted to interpret the perspectives of the teachers. The survey revealed that only 9.3% (11/118) of the teachers had ample knowledge of the funding process, 32.2% (38 / 118) had very little knowledge and the remaining 58.47% (69) had no knowledge of the process. The survey also show that teachers and school administrators lack understanding of the central government's policies on fund allocation to schools. The majority of the respondents agree that knowledge of sources and application of funds will help teachers to construct instructional planning that would enhance teaching and learning. The teachers believe that improvements at each of the school's preliminary meetings as well as the school budget committee meeting should be presented to encourage teachers to plan their annual lesson plans by incorporating elements of creativity and innovation in their teaching and learning process. The theoretical implication of our study highlights that teachers being one of the key stakeholders contribute to the intellectual capital, which is a key feature financial management and accountability of source and application of school funds. Hence, we argue that developments in teachers’ awareness and participation in the funding process would enhance the core intellectual capital of schools.